“My Faith Dissected: the Journey” Messianic Pt 4 (Old Testament/New Testament Continuance)

Is there a different G-D of the Old Testament than the New? Does G-D change? Is the Father always angry? Is the Old Testament only law and the New Testament all Grace? How does the Old Testament connect to the New Testament?

I started to do a book review of Walter Kaiser Jr’s book “Recovering the Unity of the Bible: One Continuous Story, Plan, and Purpose” in a few of previous blogs http://smoothcookies.wordpress.com/2011/04/17/notes-on-recovering-the-unity-of-the-bible-by-walter-c-kaiser-jr/,  http://smoothcookies.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/notes-on-introduction-of-kaisers-recovering-the-unity-of-the-bible/, and http://smoothcookies.wordpress.com/2011/04/30/notes-on-introduction-continued-of-kaiser%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9crecovering-the-unity-of-the-bible%e2%80%9d/. Unfortunately, I never was able to finish through the process. Kaiser Jr’s book I believe heads in the direction of more unity between the Old Testament and New Testament that I would take, however, he probably would not come to all the same conclusions.

As I had mentioned in previous blogs, the Old Testament, if studied at all, is given a negative connotation. I believe this is the case because so few actually read it in the first place but if they do it is through the lenses of replacement theology. It is seen to be done away with. Jesus has come and fulfilled all. Therefore none of it stands. The struggle I have here is that Yeshua uses the Old Testament to fight off the devil’s temptations in Matthew 4:1-11, to tell people how they should live in Mark 10, and even the greatest commandments in Mark 12:33 pulling from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.

Furthermore, Paul is constantly quoting from the Old Testament to proof his points and show how a Christian ought to live, along with the other writers of the New Testament. In fact Paul even tells Timothy, in 2 Timothy 3:16, 17, that “16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness ; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. ” Notice that Paul says “ALL”, not just the New Testament.

Moreover, in this particular scripture, a strong case could be made that 2 Timothy 3:16 is actually only referring to the Old Testament http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible. When Yeshua and the Apostles walked the roads of Jerusalem, there was no New Testament writings at this time. Most scholars would put the first writing of the New Testament around 49 to 51 C.E., with the books of Galatians or First Thessalonians http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Testament. Nonetheless, I do believe the New Testament to be inspired by G-D just the same from further research. The point I was trying to make, however, was that the Old Testament would have been the Scriptures the early believers used.

I recently started reading Derek Leman’s book “A New Look at the Old Testament”. I believe gives a great list of what is often thought of the Old Testament on page 3.

1. It is not as relevant to our modern situation because it was before the cross.

2. It is boring and too difficult to understand.

3. God is usually mad in the Old Testament and not very pleasant compared to God in the New Testament.

4. The commandments in the Old Testament are burdensome because God designed them to show Israel they could not keep the law.

5. It was written mostly to prepare the way for the New Testament and the Messiah, so it has for the most part been replaced by the better testament.

6. It is the Word of God because it shows the history of G0d’s dealings with man, but for the most part its rules are outdated.

Leman goes on to show some reasons why we should read the Old Testament on page 4, with “some surprising truths about the Old Testament that should get any follower of Jesus excited about reading it:”

1. Almost every truth of the New Testament was already present in the Old Testament. Very little is new in the New Testament.

2. The Old Testament has information about God’s attributes in much greater detail than the New Testament.

3. The Old Testament was the book of Jesus and the apostles. They spoke about it constantly and memorized large portions of it. When they spoke of the necessity of knowing the Bible, they were referring to the Old Testament.

4. The Old Testament is filled with statements about God’s favor for the undeserving (grace) and upholds love as the highest standard.

5. The Old Testament has more to say about prayer and worship than the New Testament.

6. The New Testament writers assume a thorough knowledge of the Old Testament. Lack of Old Testament knowledge is the greatest reason people fail to understand the New Testament properly.

As you can see, there is much to learn from the Old Testament. Another book that started my shift in thinking that all the Old Testament was not outdated was Daniel Thomas Lancaster’s book “Restoration: Returning the Torah of GOD to the Disciples of Jesus”. He brings the difficult commandments of G-D into a new light. However, I will forewarn that it may seem that he is making the case that all gentiles should obey the law the same as Jews in the book, however, he has come to believe in what FFOZ’s ministry calls the ”Divine Invitation”. They do not believe the Sign Commandments of the Old Testament are mandatory for Gentiles but are for the Jews. Although, FFOZ would say that gentiles have an invitation to keep as many of the sign commandments as they feel comfortable doing. They have a series of blogs more defining their position at http://ffoz.org/cgi-bin/MT4/mt-search.cgi.

Another item that I started to learn from Lancaster’s book “Restoration” is about the Oral Torah/Laws of the Jewish people. I think this is an important item to get when reading the New Testament. Too many times when Christians read anything in the New Testament speaking about law/commandments/man’s traditions; they automatically think that this is referring to the Old Testament commandments of Moses. This always behooved me because if you read the Old Testament, it is always the L-RD telling Moses what to instruct the people. The commandments are not ultimately from Moses nor man.

So,  if you are saying Jesus did away with anything His Father commanded in the Old Testament, you are pitting the Son against the Father, in what I can see. This is one of the reasons that Messianic Judaism brings continuity to the Old Testament because they’re able to look at the passages of Acts 15 and 21, and see that there is a continuance of these things in the Jewish life. As Yeshua says in Matthew 5:17-18:

 17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Lawor the Prophets ; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

Yeshua did fulfill many promises of the Old Testament as the Messiah and to cover our sins, which John defines sin not as the Law but the breaking of the law, in 1 John 3:4-6:

 4 Everyone who practicessinalsopracticeslawlessness ; and sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that He appeared in order to takeawaysins ; and in Him there is nosin. 6 No*one who abides in Him sins ; no*one who sins has seen Him orknows Him.

Furthermore, please take notice that Yeshua fulfilled the law and there is no sin in Him. He lived a perfect life and died for the sins of many! Hebrews 9:27-28 states, “27 And inasmuch *as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”

This is not saying that we now live in anarchy and have no guide whatsoever of how we should live but that Yeshua was the perfect sacrifice without blemish to bear the penalty for our sins once and for all. No animal sacrifice ever could take away the sins of man nor any works could justify anyone ever. However, by faith by grace, we were created to walk in good works!

Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, 10 since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation. 11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation ; 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God ? Hebrews 9:9-14

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith ; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God ; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:8-10

You see…. in realizing the distinction of the Church and Israel, how the law applies to both, who Jesus is, who Paul is, and our roles, it brings clarity to how G-D is diverse but ONE, we are diverse but ONE new man, we have many roles to edify and complement the ONE body, and there are many stories and testaments but ONE Bible!!! ONE Story!!! ONE Purpose!!!

Before I kind of went on a rabbit trail, I was making the point that it helps the Christian to realize that the Jewish people, that the scriptures came through, had traditions other than the Writing Word of G-D in the Old Testament. Lancaster writes on page 133 of “Restoration”:

In addition, it is helpful to look at Jewish tradition around a commandment. The Jewish community has more than 3,000 years of experience in handling the Torah and applying its laws. Oftentimes the rabbis see far deeper into the text than our cursory readings allow. They bring a wealth of oral tradition and family history to help clarify difficult passages.

Lancaster goes on to say on page 135 of “Restoration”, “Thus traditional Judaism has two Torahs: the written Torah and the oral Torah.” Furthermore, he starts to define the Oral Torah/Law on page 135:

The oral Torah is a collection of laws, explanations and legal minutia. Allegedly, the Jewish people orally passed these laws on from the days of Moses until the second century CE when they were finally committed to writing. The written code of this vast body of traditional law is called the Mishnah.

Lancaster goes on in Chapter 13 to speak about the Mishnah, the Talmud, and passages in the New Testament that may refer to these traditions that are not in the Old Testament like Mark 7. The oral Torah is similar to modern-day Bible Commentaries by Christian theologians. We take what they say to get further clarification and study of the written Scriptures but by no means are they the same as the Written, Inspired authority of the Word of G-D. However, we still need to be aware of it because these first century Jewish authors of the New Testament certainly would have assumed their audiences knew of these oral traditions, as well.

As for the false belief that the Old Testament is all “Law” and the New Testament is all “Grace”, Herman Bavinick’s ”Reformed Dogmatics: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation Volume Four” broke down my misconception of this thinking. This was one of the books required when taking the Doctrine of Church in seminary.  Like always I don’t come all his conclusions, however, he made me think of this dichotomy. For example on page 452 Bavinick writes of Paul:

he acknowledges that the law-centered dispensation by no means snuffed out the promise already made to Abraham (Gal. 3:17, 21), that the gospel was also preached in the days of the old covenant (Gal. 3:8), and that in those days, too, righteousness was obtained from and by faith (Rom. 4:11-12; 11:32; Gal. 3:6-7).

Furthermore, Bavinick writes on page 454, “ The gospel always presupposes the law and also needs it in its administration.” This is the promises that G-D gave to Abraham preceded the law given to the people of Israel through Moses. The promises to Abraham were to the physical heirs through Isaac but also all of the Nations, which would further be clarified that believe in Yeshua as their L-RD and Savior. However, the covenant given to Israel through Moses were given directly to the nation of Israel. Derek Leman writes, “The covenant which gentiles are included in is the “covenant of promise” (vs. 12) and not the “covenant of law” — Abrahamic, not Sinai.” (http://www.derekleman.com/musings/2012/01/06/answering-peter/#more-4875)

All these studies started to help me see the connection of G-D’s Word and People. Messianic Judaism’s distinction between Israel and the Church is one of the keys to seeing this unity. Furthermore, to see this distinction, it is paramount to understand the ministry of Paul and Peter/James/John. Dispensationalists are close but are not the same on the view of the Law, Paul, and how it is applied as Messianic Judaism. A good view of a Progressive Dispensationalists on this is Tom Pennington’s three sermons on “The Church in God’s Eternal Plan” under his Systematic Theology series at http://www.countrysidebible.org/CBC.php?t=23&series=9&seriesT=Systematic+Theology.

I pray that we do not fall back into the heresy of Marcion way back in 140 CE. He rejected the Old Testament entirely, the book of Matthew, Mark, Acts, and Hebrews because he believed these writings “favored Jewish readers”. (page 62, 63, “Church History in Plain Language” by Bruce L. Shelley.  Church History really helps in seeing how things are shaped in thought and practice in the people of G-D. Tommy Nelson, a Dispensationalists, has a great series on Church History at http://dbcmedia.org/sermons/church-history-the-footprints-of-god-volume-1-of-2/?st=shopp&s=chruch%20history2. Of course, he puts some of his theological distinctives into the sermons but you can still gain a lot of knowledge on church history through them. Plus, he is a pretty entertaining speaker to listen to. 

When the books of the Old Testament got dubbed “Old”, I do not know. However, I do not believe Yeshua or the Apostles would have made this dichotomy of G-D’s Word between the Old and New Testament. The Old Testament is the Hebrew Bible. It is the TaNaK. “The Torah (“Teaching”, also known as the Five Books of Moses), Nevi’im (“Prophets”) and Ketuvim (“Writings”)—hence TaNaKh.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanakh)

Furthermore, a better name for the New Testament may be the Apostolic Scriptures. A continuance of the Hebrew testament and story of G-D, the Messiah, and His people. To continue on with the theme of this Messianic series of a diverse unity. One Bible with many authors and books. One Story with many chapters, characters, and parts played.

In my next post in this series, it is my hope to cover the Biblical Holidays and Eschatology (a study of the end times).

Grace and peace be with you,

In Yeshua Messiah,

Coley

“My Faith Dissected: the Journey” Messianic Pt 3 (the Church and Israel)

Israel

27 So he said to him, “What is your name ?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel ; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him and said, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name ?” And he blessed him there. 30 So Jacob named *the place Peniel, for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.”  Genesis 32:27-30

G-D named the patriarch Jacob the name of Israel in the passage above. He went on to have twelve sons that each became a tribe and one daughter. G-D promised Jacob that a nation and a company of nations would come from him in Genesis 35:9-13:

9 Then God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him. 10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob ; You shall no longer be called Jacob, But Israel shall be your name.” Thus He called him Israel. 11 God also said to him, “I am God Almighty ; Be fruitful and multiply ; A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, And kings shall come forth from you. 12 “The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, And I will give the land to your descendants after you.” 13 Then God went up from him in the place where He had spoken with him.

Eventually, Judah, one of Jacob’s sons, would become a nation and encompass the people of his other son Benjamin. Jacob’s other 10 sons would be called Ephraim and encompass another nation to the north of Judah. The Messiah Yeshua would eventually come through the tribe of Judah. Furthermore, he would come from the lineage of King David. (Matthew 1)

In Genesis 28, G-D revealed to Jacob that He would bless all the nations of the earth through his seed, which He had previously told Jacob’s father Isaac and grandfather Abraham. Addtionally, G-D told Jacob that He would bless Him with land. G-D keeps His promises and sent His Son, Yeshua, to live a sinless life and die for the sins of many to fulfill part of this promise to bless the nations. (Romans 4 & 5)

Gentiles

The identity of the Church is not clearly present in the Old Testament. However, it must be said there were people of G-D like Noah before the Abrahamic covenant that were passed down through Isaac and Jacob (Israel). But even before this, Noah and his son Shem are in the lineage that Abraham would come through. Maybe, the Dispensationalists are onto something in how they deal with this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dispensationalism.

Even after all of this though, G-D made a specific covenant with the people of Israel at Mount Sinai, under Moses’ leadership. G-D chose to work through Israel. Up to the point of Yeshua, Israel is identified as the people of G-D. However, after the Resurrection of Yeshua, the Gentiles are brought into the Commonwealth of Israel. This did not do away with or replace Israel but added the Gentiles under their umbrella or tent. Ephesians 2:11-13 states:

 11 Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “ Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands – 12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Derek Leman has a nice, little overview of Ephesians 2:11-22 at  http://www.derekleman.com/musings/2012/01/06/answering-peter/. He recommends Markus Barth’s commentary on Ephesians 1-3 in the Anchor-Yale series for further study of Ephesians 2, which I hope to get to soon.

This makes me wonder if the Gentiles being brought into the Commonwealth of Israel by the blood of Yeshua, is the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy of Noah in Genesis 9:26-27:

26 He also said, “Blessed be the LORD, The God of Shem ; And let Canaan be his servant. 27 “May God enlarge Japheth, And let him dwell in the tents of Shem ; And let Canaan be his servant.”

As Romans 11:25-29:

25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery -so *that you will not be wise in your own estimation -that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved ; just as it is written, “THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.” 27 “THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.” 28 From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers ; 29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

Brothers made into many nations being brought together in One Tent. The Gentiles/Nations ( from Japheth) being brought into the Tent of their older brother Israel ( from Shem) by the blood of Yeshua bringing them together to be One Body under G-D!!!

Gentiles are defined as the nations or anyone that is not of the nation of Israel. The NAS New Testament Greek Lexicon defines “gentiles” as any of the following:

• a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together
  1. a company, troop, swarm
• a multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus
  1. the human family
• a tribe, nation, people group
• in the OT, foreign nations not worshipping the true God, pagans, Gentiles
• Paul uses the term for Gentile Christians

Furthermore, per Acts 10 through 15, the inclusion of the gentiles was a new or at least unexpected thing to the Apostles. Acts 11:17,18 states:

17 “Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way ?” 18 When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”

By the blood of Yeshua, the gentiles have been brought into the commonwealth of Israel, as I posted above in Ephesians 2. Many Christian circles believe the church has replaced Israel. Some call this Replacement Theology or Supersessionism. Wikipedia has a break down of several beliefs on this topic at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supersessionism. Derek Leman has a small breakdown of supersessionism at http://www.derekleman.com/musings/supersessionism/, based off R. Kendall Soulen’s book ”The God of Israel and Christian Theology”.  

The Church

But what is the church? Up until Yeshua’s ascension into Heaven (Acts 1) there is no mention of this way of describing a follower of G-D unless you allergorize that “Israel” really is the “Church”. When was the first time the “Church” was used in Scripture? It is actually used for the first time in our English translations in Matthew 16:18.

15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am ?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church ; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven ; and whatever *you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever *you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:15-19

Per the New Testament Greek Lexicon, the transliterated word  for “church” from the Greek text is  Ekklesia, and gives the definitions below:

Definition

a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly an assembly of the people convened at the public place of the council for the purpose of deliberating the assembly of the Israelites any gathering or throng of men assembled by chance, tumultuously in a Christian sense an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting a company of Christian, or of those who, hoping for eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, observe their own religious rites, hold their own religious meetings, and manage their own affairs, according to regulations prescribed for the body for order’s sake those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a company and are united into one body the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth the assembly of faithful Christians already dead and received into heaven

 As you can see, this Greek word used for “church” can have several applications. The same Greek word is translated “synagogue” occasionally. A great teaching on the back drop of how the word “church” makes its way into the Apostolic (New Testament) scriptures is a teaching by Tom Pennington from Countryside Bible Church at http://www.countrysidebible.org/CBC.php?t=23&series=9&seriesT=Systematic+Theology. The teaching is called “Defining the Church” and was taught on 7/23/2006, in the Systematic Theology section. Tom served underneath John MacArthur for quite a while http://www.countrysidebible.org/staff.php?staff=1. Although, like always, I probably would not degree with all their teachings this is a great breakdown of the word “church” and “ekklesia”.

Simply put, in my opinion, I would say the Church are the ingathering of the gentiles or the nations by our L-RD Yeshua. As Yeshua says in Matthew 8:11 , “11 “I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” Notice that Yeshua did not say the many from east and west would become Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob but would recline at the table with them.

This said, I believe that Israel and the Church are distinct entities with different calls and roles. They are both people of G-D. I do not believe there is salvation outside of Yeshua, neither. At this point, you may bring up Galatians 3:28, “28 There is neither *Jew nor Greek, there is neither *slave nor free man, there is neither *male nor female ; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” However, this line also mentions “male nor female”. Does this mean that all females are male now? Or are all males female now? Or have we somehow become asexual? Is there no distinction or roles between male and females now? Well, I covered this in an earlier blog http://smoothcookies.wordpress.com/2011/12/17/my-faith-dissected-the-journey-complementarianism/.

I do not believe that this means that there is no difference in these at all. Instead, I believe Galatians is speaking in regards to salvation and/or conversion to Judaism, particularly the aspect of justification in Yeshua. It can relate to the body having different spiritual gifts but one body in 1 Corinthians 12. You may ask about Romans 9-11. Dr. Michael Brown has a great chapter on this in his book “Our Hands are Stained with Blood”. In Chapter 13, Brown works through these chapters pointing out there are “Natural Children and God’s Children”. He makes a great point in regards to Romans 9:6-8:

But-this is of vital importance-pious Buddhists or Muslims are not the true Church. Of course not! The true Church consists of believers within the Church, not religious people outside the Church. It is only those within the Church (i.e., those who profess the Christian faith) who can possibly be the true Church. In the same way, Paul never said that Gentile believers were “true” or “spiritual” Israel. It was the believing remnant within Israel that was “true” or “spiritual” Israel. (Actually, the terms “true Israel” or “spiritual Israel” never occur in the Bible, and it might be helpful to completely avoid them.) (page 129, “Our Hands are Stained with Blood” by Michael Brown

But there is a warning here as well.

If some of the [natural Israelite] branches have been broken off, and you[Gentiles], though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others [the Israelites who believed] and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root [Israel], do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you (Rom. 11:17-18). (page 138, “Our Hands are Stained with Blood” by Michael Brown)

May it be understood clearly and never forgotten: Gentile believers have been grafted into Israel’s tree and they are nourished by the ancient Jewish root. (In this context, the root is not Jesus, although in other Scriptures Jesus is called the root of Jesse [see Isaiah 11:1], and the Vine from which we branch out [see John 15:1-9]. But when Paul speaks of the “root” in Romans 11:18, he seems to be referring to the patriarchs, the fathers of Israel.) It is true that the natural branches “were broken off because of unbelief, and you [Gentile believers] stand by faith.” But that is no reason for pride. On the contrary, “Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you either” (Rom. 11:20-21) (page 139, “Our Hands are Stained with Blood” by Michael Brown)

Here is where the Church, which has been primarily Gentile since the second century, has made a big mistake. She has been guilty of boasting over the natural branches, forgetting her root and misinterpreting Israel’s hardening. (page 139, “Our Hands are Stained with Blood” by Michael Brown)

Roles of Israel and the Church

Dan Juster’s book “The Irrevocable Calling: Israel’s Roles as a Light to the Nations” outlines the past, present, and future roles of Israel. For sake of brevity, I would just like to share a few paragraphs from page 44 below:

Israel and the Church are interdependent and fulfill different but complementary priestly roles. Without the Messianic Jews, who are part of both, neither can be fulfilled in their destiny. The Jews are dependent on God’s work through the Jews. This follows from the conclusion of Romans 11 where Paul has described the priestly call of the Gentiles to the Jews and the priestly call of the Jews to the Gentiles: “For God has shut up all mankind together  in disobedience, in order that he might show mercy to all.” (Rom. 11:32).

I believe that this suggests another picture. Before we enter into the everlasting ages, the Jewish believer will say to the Gentile in Messiah, “I honor you because without your prayers and faithfulness, I would never have been saved.” The Gentile will respond, “Without your faithfulness in preserving the Scriptures, Jewish life, and taking the Good News into the world, I would not have been saved.” They will revere one another with a humility that truly honors God and affirms that our faith is founded on interdependence.

Ultimately, the end of this age and the last wars described by the prophets, both spiritual and physical, will not occur until the Jewish believers and the rest of the Church are right with each another. An adequate witness must be given to all the nations and equally given to Jewish people by the Church and Messianic Jews. Only then will Israel, with an anguished heart, call upon Yeshua for salvation. The thrilling account is found in Joel 3, Zechariah 12 and 14 and Revelation 19. Israel will say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of ADONAI.” (Matt 23:39). “Every knee will bow… and every tongue will acknowledge that Yeshua the Messiah is ADONAI…” (Phil. 2:10, 11).

Toward Jerusalem Council II

Don Finto mentions in his book “Your People Shall Be My People: How Israel, the Jews and the Christian Church will come together in the Last Days”, on page 189, 190, about the “Toward Jerusalem Council II”:

Toward Jerusalem Council II is an initiative of repentance and reconciliation between the Jewish and Gentile segments of the Church. The vision is that one day there will be a second Council of Jerusalem that will be, in an important aspect, the inverse of the first council described in Acts 15. Whereas the first council was made up of Jewish believers in Yeshua (Jesus), who decided not to impose on the Gentiles the requirements of the Jewish law, so the second council would be made up of Gentile Church leaders, who would recognize and welcome the Jewish believers in Yeshua without requiring them to abandon their Jewish identity and practice.

More can be found out about this initiative at the Toward Jerusalem Council II’s website http://www.tjcii.org/toward-jerusalem-council-ii-vision-statement.htm.

May we recognize our Jewish Roots and our Jewish brothers in Yeshua the Messiah. I reiterate that being one and equal does not equal sameness. This concept is one of the things that frightened me when studying Buddhism and Hinduism, that is losing the distinction of your person. I believe the Bible teaches of a G-D that is one G-D with Three distinct persons. A G-D that creates man and female to be joined into marriage as one body but different roles and distinctions. A G-D that creates individuals with a diverse set of giftings and talents to contribute to one body in Messiah. A G-D that appoints the times and ages that an individual is born into and the nation that He develops him in. I believe G-D creates nations diverse with different cultures to join as one body, as well. How can we be who we are, if we try to be someone else or try to force others to be us? We complement each other! May we rejoice in our roles and live in them to the glory of G-D!

May we not commit what Derek Leman calls “Reverse Galatianism” at http://www.derekleman.com/musings/2012/01/02/classic-repost-reverse-galatianism-2/, that is attempting to force or guilt Jews to become as Non-Jews. May we, the Church, recognize the Messianic Jews and not rebuild walls like Ephesians 2 or become proud like Romans 11 mentions. Or even more sad, act as if they do not even exist and be apathetic to any relationship, ministry, or mission to the Jew.

Instead, may we build up the body of Messiah, the Church and Israel, and call together for the Messiah, our King, our L-RD to come! My friend puts it nicely in his blog http://messiahconnection.wordpress.com/2012/01/08/bring-back-the-king/, of how the Messianic Jews may have arisen in these last days to fulfill the words of Yeshua to His Jewish brothers in Matthew 23:39, “For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

In my next post, it is my goal to speak about the continuance of the Old and New Testaments.

Grace and peace be with you,

In Yeshua Messiah,

Coley

For further study, there are plenty of books on this topic:

“Grafted In: Israel, Gentiles, and the Mystery of the Gospel” by D. Thomas Lancaster

“The Holy Epistle to the Galatians, Book” by D. Thomas Lancaster

“Your People Shall Be My People” by Don Finto

“The Irrevocable Calling” by Daniel C. Juster, Th.D.

“Our Hands our Stained with Blood” by Michael L. Brown

“Post-Missionary Messianic Judaism” by Mark Kinzer

“The God of Israel and Christian Theology”  by R. Kendall Soulen

“Future Israel” by Barry Horner

Ruwts Homou- To Run Together

In trying to come up with a cool name for a running club, I started to do a word search in the Bible for “run” or “running” and came up with an interesting thought. A combination of a Hebrew word and a Greek word together. I know not politically correct A word from the Old Testament and a word from the New Testament. Then, I thought of the two passages put together that I pulled the words.

Habakkuk 2:2-4 reads:

 2 Then the LORDanswered me and said, “Record the vision And inscribe it on tablets, That the one who reads it may run. 3 “For the vision is yet for the appointed time ; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainlycome, it will not delay. 4 “Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith.

John 20:2-9

3 SoPeter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. 4 The two were runningtogether ; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tombfirst ; 5 and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. 6 And so Simon Peter alsocame, following him, and entered the tomb ; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the face-clothwhich had been on His head, not lying with the linenwrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 So the otherdisciple who had firstcome to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed. 9 For as yetthey did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.

The transliterated Hebrew word for “run” in Habakkuk 2:2 is  ”Ruwts” with a phonetic reading of “roots”. It means “to run”, per the NAS Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon. The Greek transliterated word for “together” is “homou” with a phonetic reading of “hom-oo”. 

Roots Hom-00- To Run Together

Habakkuk 2:2-4 speaks of running but waiting. It’s active but passive. An oxymoron of sorts. It speaks of an envisioned time that has not come yet for the Hebrews but a time that certainly would come. He exhorted them to live by “FAITH”!

Fast forward…hmmm….. around 638 years and of the vision at an appointed time for the Messiah to die and rise again in John 20:2-9.  We see the Apostle Peter and John racing to the Messiah’s tomb only to realize that He has Risen!!!

Now we say once again with Habakkuk that we must run but wait. The in between stage that the Messiah Yeshua has already come and now we run and wait for His second return. In our present we strive to live out the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:23-27:

23 I doallthings for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellowpartaker of it. 24 Do you not know that those who run in a raceallrun, but only onereceivesthe prize ? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Everyone who competes in the gamesexercisesself-control in allthings. They then do it to receive a perishablewreath, but we an imperishable. 26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not withoutaim ; I box in such a way, as not beating the air ; 27 but I disciplinemy body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

O’ how I ever fail over and over again at this self controlled running thing called life. I know I’m not perfect but I press onward to the goal of the upward call of Christ Jesus as Paul says in Philippians 3:12-14;

12 Not that I have alreadyobtained it or have alreadybecome perfect, but I press on so that I may layhold of that for which also I was laidhold of by ChristJesus. 13 Brethren, I do not regardmyself as having laidhold of it yet ; but onething I do: forgetting what lies behind and reachingforward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upwardcall of God in ChristJesus.

Looking forward to that day that we toss our running shoes and take flight into the air to meet our King, Savior, Messiah, and L-RD Yeshua in the clouds as 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18:

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, aboutthose who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who havenohope. 14 For if we believe that Jesusdied and roseagain, evensoGod will bring with Him those who have fallenasleepin Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are aliveand remainuntilthe coming of the Lord, will not precedethose who have fallenasleep. 16 For the LordHimselfwill descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will risefirst. 17 Thenwe who are aliveand remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall alwaysbe with the Lord. 18 Thereforecomfortoneanother with thesewords.

Every eye will see and every knee will bow! 

7 BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and everyeye will see Him, even those whopierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mournover Him. So it is to be. Amen. Revelation 1:7

9 For thisreasonalso, Godhighlyexalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is aboveeveryname, 10 so that at the name of JesusEVERYKNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that everytongue will confess that JesusChrist is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11

May we run together toward the upward call of our L-RD Yeshua. May we all say with the Apostle John in Revelation 22:20-21,

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

“My Faith Dissected: the Journey” Messianic Pt 2 (The Law and the Gospel)

The Law and the Gospel

A new friend pointed me to The Resurgence website at http://theresurgence.com/2011/08/17/lets-get-it-started, when I was inquiring about blogging. It references “reverse engineering”, which means to start with the end goal in mind. But after this, it states the below:

Start with Jesus

Do what you do out of love for Jesus—not to be more wealthy, more popular, more admired, more successful, or more anything else!

“For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” – 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

Be Bible-based, gospel-centered, Spirit-empowered and Jesus-honoring as you start well and aim to finish well!

This phrase hits at the core of my aim of my reading the Bible, researching the Truth, and all that I do. Of course, I get side tracked at times and confused at times and burned out at times. However, when I began this search, it was truly a search to see what the Bible said, be led by the Spirit, and honor Jesus. Additionally, I would emphasis the importance to stay Yeshua-centered; beginning, middle, end, and always

When I first started this study of Messianic Judaism and Hebrew Roots Movement, the question of Justification would come up a lot. However, I have not found anyone in this area that would not wholeheartedly agree with Ephesians 2:8,9, “ 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith ; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God ; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Like most Protestants though, if you see no fruit or work after salvation, you might doubt if they truly are saved. This category is what most people would call the sanctification area of salvation. That is the area that you continue to work in this life to become more Christ-like, with the help of the Holy Spirit. However, this kind of gets tricky because growing more Christ-like is not just being able to do a list of works but a heart being molded and a mind being transformed.

When I first started studying this topic, it was more of what do I need to do as a Christian. I know I’m to love G-D with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. I’m to obey Yeshua and follow Him. What does this look like, though? Furthermore, if there is only One G-D and He gave commandments in the Old Testament and the New Testament, what am I to follow? I know that there is only One True G-D, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Son would never go against the Father. The Holy Spirit would never go against the Father or the Son. They are One!

These are the questions that I was asking when I wrote my research paper on this topic that I posted in a previous blog http://smoothcookies.wordpress.com/2010/04/18/the-church-and-the-law-and-the-gospel/.  I realized this was just the practical question of, “How do I live as a Christian?” What commands do I follow? What commands apply to me? In Judaism this would be called Halakha, which Wikipedia states, “Halakha guides not only religious practices and beliefs, but numerous aspects of day-to-day life.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halakha) It is these aspects of day-to-day living that most people in Messianic Judaism and a lot of Christians are concerned with. It really must have been a serious question in Paul’s day as well because he would start off with the theology and other items of his letters but in the end he would always list out a list of do’s and don’ts.   However, Paul didn’t go into much detail on a lot of the Old Testament commandments. These were normally the questions that I wanted to know about.

In my paper that I mentioned in the paragraph above, I found that many Christian scholars divide the law into three categories. Even the ones that don’t like to divide the law into three categories, they pretty much do once they get to the question, “What is binding on a modern-day Christian to follow?” It’s unavoidable when you take the further look at what applies to whom. They normally separate the law into the Universal, Ceremonial, and Civil law.

In my opinion, all of Christianity, Hebrew Roots, Messianic Judaism, and most non-believers would all hold to the Universal aspects of the law. Some may call it the natural law that you could reference Romans 1, 2 for. Some may call it the moral law. Whatever you call it, it is pretty much the same overall. However, a non-believer may not follow the sexual morality and drinking aspects of the Universal law, most would probably follow the rest or have a conscience about it at least. 

No one follows the Civil law in the modern world exactly but I would say that the Constitution of the United States of America pulled a lot from the underlying principles of the Civil law of the Old Testament. Some Reformed Christians believe that the civil law should be applied today in some similar fashion. But most of these laws were wrapped around the land of Israel, the people of Israel, and the Temple times. 

I really came into this movement studying the Hebrew Roots side of things, first. They are pretty much the One Law/Torah folks, which is deceptive kind of because the others believe in One Law also. It is just a matter of how it applies to each. As I came to know from the Bible and many studies, it applies differently to Kings, Levites, Priests, women, men, and even Israel and the Nations.

However, the Hebrew Roots folks are normally non-Jewish people who have found a love for the Ceremonial laws of the Old Testament and believe everyone should follow all of the laws the same. Most Messianic Jewish circles have more people with a physical Jewish descent or people who convert, a different mission that is to the Jew first, to have Jewish followers of Yeshua maintaining their identity, recognizing the difference of how the Ceremonial law relates to the Jewish people and the Nations, and trying to maintain good relationships with mainstream Christianity and Judaism, from my view. I relate more to the Messianic Jewish beliefs on this topic. 

Therefore, I labeled this component of my faith “Messianic”, even though I am not Jewish, as far as I know. Even the label “Messianic” is really by definition actually the same as “Christian”, it is just the transliteration of Christ from the Hebrew language versus the Greek.  However, I have not heard of any Christians that call themselves “Messianic”. Normally only gentiles part of the Hebrew Roots Movement or part of a Messianic Jewish synagogue use this term. Jewish believers in Yeshua will probably always just call themselves “Messianic Jewish” or “Jewish followers of Yeshua or Messiah”.

At one time it was so convincing to me that I started to think it were true that I needed to follow all the Sign Commandments, as many in Messianic Jewish circles call them. The mainstream Christian world would probably call them the Ceremonial Commandments. As I posted in my paper above in a previous blog, I had already studied the viewpoints of this in the Reformed circles, Evangelical, Dispensational, and mainstream Christianity.

My friends had vigorously pointed me to people in the fringes of Messianic Judaism, whom I would more call the Hebrew Roots folks. What they taught did not set well with me and I had a lot of issues with their teachings at first. It wasn’t until I read Aaron Eby’s book “Boundary Stones” and Daniel Thomas Lancaster’s book “Restoration”, both with FFOZ at http://ffoz.com/books.html, that my thoughts started to change on the so-called Sign Commandments of the Old Testament. I also listened to Lancaster’s series on Hebrews, which I thought was great at http://www.bethimmanuel.org/. The series has been taken off the web since then, though. Not to forget Tim Hegg at http://torahresource.com/.

I was evening starting to believe that everyone should still keep all the commandments in the Bible after years of struggling to harmonize or connect the dots between the Old Testament and New Testament. Then, FFOZ publicly came out with a change of their position back in 2009. They posted an article, “In Messiah Journal 101′s article, “‘One Law’ and the Messianic Gentile,” First Fruits of Zion transparently shared our theological journey regarding the relationship between Jews, Gentile believers and their respective obligations to the laws of Torah.” (http://ffoz.org/blogs/2009/09/reasoning_together_mj_101.html)

Basically, FFOZ had come to realize that they had made a mistake in believing that the commandments were the same for everyone. This sent me into further struggles to understand how I was to take these commandments. Tim Hegg was coming back strong with articles. At this time, I started to learn about UMJC, which Russ Resnik has a great response to Tim Hegg at http://www.umjc.org/resources-mainmenu-101/documents-mainmenu-110/cat_view/119-theology. I really respected that FFOZ could admit to being wrong in the face of the possibility to lose sales and their livelihood of ministry. I can not imagine the struggles they must have had with all the One Law, Two House folks slinging all types of anger and disappointment at them.

Additionally, I started to follow Derek Leman’s blogs at http://www.derekleman.com/musings/. He has a slew of posts on this topic but he has a main page labeled “Acts 15″ at http://www.derekleman.com/musings/acts-15/. There are several additional posts on the topic that can be searched on his site.

Furthermore, Daniel Thomas Lancaster did a sermon series on Galatians that FFOZ eventually turned into a book, “The Holy Epistle to the Galatians: Sermons on a Messianic Jewish Approach”. In May of 2010, I went to the Israel Mandate conference where Dan Juster spoke that continued to work on me. The conference lectures can be found at http://www.ihop.org/israelmandate/resources/. I read another book by Daniel Thomas Lancaster called “Grafted In”. 

All along this time having heated conversations with friends and family over this subject. In January 2010, I started going to Baruch HaShem Messianic Synagogue where I started a Hebrew language class. Plus, I read Marvin Wilson’s “Our Father Abraham” at this time. This part of my faith journey always makes me think of Proverbs 18:17, ” The first to plead his case seems right, Until another comes and examines him.”

Finally from reading and studying the scripture a lot, the debates, the conversations, the prayer, and a whole lot of thought, I came to line up most with mainstream Messianic Judaism on the role of the Sign Commandments for Gentiles or Non-Jewish people. This would pretty much line up with Derek Leman, UMJC’s leaders, Dan Juster, FFOZ, Daniel Thomas Lancaster, and Baruch HaShem Messianic Synagogue’s leaders, in my opinion.

Simply, I believe that the Sign Commandments such as the Sabbath, Biblical Holidays, dietary laws, and the such were given to Israel as a sign between them and G-D. These are not binding on the gentiles as Acts 15 states but the gentiles can take on as many as they choose in a respectful, loving manner of our Jewish brothers and sisters in Yeshua. Christians can learn very much about Yeshua through them and find much joy in doing them. By no means do I believe it is a sin for non-Jews though not to keep any of them, if they choose not to do so. On the other hand, I do not believe it is a sin or wrong for believers to do them in the light of Yeshua and in a non-legalistic manner.

However, this is where I would differ with mainstream Christianity. They would say no one has to do the sign commandments and in fact they were done away with. I do not see that in scripture. I still see the Jewish people keeping all the commandments or attempting to do so from a simple reading of Acts 15 through 28. This actually started to harmonize the whole Bible for me. I now was able to see that equality does not mean sameness. Much like Complimentarians can see this in the distinct roles of Men and Women. Furthermore, all Christians can see this in the distinct roles of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, even though They’re One and Equal in essence. Israel and the Nations have distinct callings that G-D calls them to. 

For example, I do not believe the Christian establishment of Sunday worship replaces the Sabbath. I see no hard proof for this from Scripture nor Church History. Though, I would NOT agree with Tom Schreiner’s other conclusions at least he can recognize of the early believers that, “They worshiped the Lord on the Lord’s Day, the day of Jesus’ resurrection, but the early Christians did not believe the Lord’s Day fulfilled or replaced the Sabbath. ” (http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2010/10/14/schreiner-qa-is-the-sabbath-still-required-for-christians/). I do not see in Scripture where the Sabbath was done away with. It was never binding on gentile believers to follow to begin with but a continued observance for Jewish believers and a sign commandment to Israel. Acts 15 and 21 only reiterates this. In my opinion, Dr. Michael Brown has a better take on this at http://askdrbrown.org/ask-dr-brown/35-ask-dr-brown/76-should-christians-observe-the-seventh-day-sabbath.

Additionally, I see nothing wrong with Christians worshipping the L-RD on Sundays. However, I do not believe we should be legalistic and tell our Jewish brothers and sisters that it is wrong for them to continue keeping the Sabbath or any gentiles that want to participate in keeping it, as long as they understand it is not for justification and not legalistic about it.

I like how Daniel Thomas Lancaster put it, in regards to gentiles keeping any of the sign commandments, in one of his Galatian series sermons. He uses the analogy of a father who has two kids and assigns each of them chores. I’ll just make up names. Say for example the father assigns Tommy the chore to clean out the kitty litter box. But his brother, Bobby, decided to show his love for his brother and father by joining in with Tommy to help him clean out the kitty litter box some times. Now, Bobby doesn’t have to do this. He wasn’t assigned this task. However, Tommy would probably appreciate very much that his brother chose to share in this task with him. Furthermore, Bobby is learning new things by this task and is building a stronger relationship with his brother Tommy. I might have added a little more than Lancaster actually said but it was somewhat like that.

This may seem like a long post but really is just a short overview. It would take too long in this post to cover every scripture and argument on the Sign Commandments. However, there are many more resources on this topic besides the ones already mentioned above. I’ll write a few places to find some below.

Baruch HaShem Messianic Synagogue’s recommended books at http://baruchhashemsynagogue.org/?page_id=477. Plus, they have a nice Judaica shop that sells a lot of books in the Messianic Jewish circles at their synagogue. Which you can actually find some of Derek Leman and FFOZ’s books.

Derek Leman’s book “Paul Didn’t Eat Pork”, and he has a recommended book list at http://www.derekleman.com/musings/booklist/.

Dr. Seth Klayman’s congregation has a good recommended book list at http://www.entershalom.org/#/exploring/read-more.

I suppose that is enough I pray that those I have confused or hurt during the past few trying years or so will forgive me. Please forgive me if I came off arrogant, pushy, overly defensive, insinuating you were doing wrong by not keeping any of these commandments, reclusive, or stand offish. By the grace of G-D, even though we may still disagree on many things, the L-RD brought reconciliation to my two good friends, brother, and I through this time. I believe we have all learned to disagree with much more love, patience, humility, and understanding. Most the time

Grace and peace be with you,

In Messiah Yeshua,

Coley

Mission Trips to Mayan Country

 

2012 is around the corner. Many will be speaking of the Mayan prophecy of 2012 and the end of the world. I don’t know about that but I thought it would be a good segway into posting an account of memories from a mission trip in Mayan country a few years back.  I actually went on two mission trips to Yucatan, MX, one in 2007 and one in 2008. The first was great but I have to admit I was quite fond of the second trip. I met some loving people, saw some Mayan ruins, had a lot of laughs, a birthday cake smashed into my face, and an all around great experience. We helped build an orphanage old school style with big, indigenous boulders. It was a lot of sweat and sore muscles but very much worth it. We walked a lot but it was joyful walks that gave us time to have great conversations. It was as if we traveled back in time, lol   Nobody wanted to walk to the store with me when I got back to the good ole USA, haha. Anyways, I wrote the below when I came back.

Yucatan 2008 Memories

 

          The 2008 Yucatan mission team arrived in Merida, MX Saturday evening on August 9th  and stayed until the following Saturday, August 16th. The team consisted of 9 people from The Village Church. We had 2 members that were already awaiting us in Tekax, MX.

The missionary, whom we were helping, was awaiting us at the airport. He was accompanied with a deacon of the church at Tekax, a couple of pastors from different churches, and a few other people. We were headed to Tekax, MX to help build an orphanage and hold vacation bible studies. They greeted us, helped us load our luggage, and we were on our way to Tekax.

It would take a book to tell every detail of all the great moments we had inYucatan, MX. The jokes together, the talks together, the selflessness towards each other, the prayer together, the walks together, the meals together, the devotionals together, the serving together, the games played together, the travel together, the songs together, the Vacation Bible Studies together, and all that we did together.

So, I will tell you of one of my most treasured parts of the trip. The dirt road we walked to the work site traveled with brothers and sisters, in Christ, to help build an orphanage, by the grace of God.  This is straight from my journal on August 12^th, 2008.

          I just feel blessed the Lord has allowed me to come on this trip and be a part of His work. I definitely felt this was the will of God for me.

          I love the walk to the job site. We guys walk together, with our work gloves, water bottles, and talking. We walk around the corner and continue on this dirt road.

          It made me think we’re in a movie. I can’t help but think of when my brother, cousins, and I were kids walking to the store down from my Grandma’s house.

          We would be laughing, playing, or fighting. We might not have shirts or shoes on. I had gigantic glasses on. By the grace of God, I was able to have lasik surgery.

          I loved the walk down that dirt road with green trees, honey sickles, a pond, and a Toy Soldier awaiting me at the store.

          But it doesn’t compare to this walk down this dirt road on the outskirts of Tekax, MX in many ways. I’m no longer a fearful, prideful, angry, blind child. I’m a child of God, now. Back then I didn’t know who I was or my purpose. I had no peace, true love, hope, or even knew what faith was.

          Now, the Lord has revealed Himself to me by the work of the Holy Spirit. I have the peace of Christ. I live to glorify, worship, and praise my Lord Jesus Christ.

          I walk down this dirt road to work in my Lord’s ministry. I walk down this dirt road to give children hope in Christ Jesus. I walk down this dirt road to get more joy in Christ.        

          The sun is hot. The dust is covering my legs. My muscles are getting a little sore. My stomach is not quite right.

          But it is so beautiful. The work of Jesus. His love that moves me and my fellow workers. His Spirit that sustains us. His sovereignty that has led us all here. He is the Creator of this red dirt, these green trees, these friendly Mayan workers, this Yucatan mission team, of me, and everything visible and invisible. None compares to our God!

          O’Lord, Your love endures forever. You’re faithful when I’m not. You are gracious to this rebellious, fearful child.

          I awake only because You give me breath. I’m only alive for reasons You alone know. Thank You, O’Lord.

          I surrender all and submit all of me to You, Lord Jesus. O’Lord, please surrender and submit for me, if I’m not able. I know I’m a fearful, prideful man. May I fear the Lord alone! May I follow You all my days that You give me and on into eternity.

          I love You, Lord Jesus because You loved me first! All Glory and Honor and Praise to You, Lord Jesus!

 Psalm 37:23-24, “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in His way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.”

“My Faith Dissected: the Journey” Messianic Pt 1 (History/Jewish Roots of Christianity)

It was some time in 2007 that I was introduced to the Hebrew Roots movement and Messianic Judaism. The introduction came through what laws from the Old Testament are still binding on Christians. As hard as I could research, I could not really find a whole lot of information that countered what I was being introduced to, from my normal sources anyway. It was not something I accepted too well mostly because I couldn’t find where these laws were enforced on New Testament believers or where a lot of the pastors/teachers that I studied even really spoke about them too much. Furthermore, I really just didn’t understand it and was very fearful in being led astray. I’ve already touched on my beginnings in studying this area in a previous post http://smoothcookies.wordpress.com/2010/04/18/the-church-and-the-law-and-the-gospel/, where I shared a research paper that I wrote on “The Church and the Law and the Gospel.

Originally, I thought about starting this component of my faith off with the Law & Gospel but I thought I would first share some sources to study the history of Messianic Judaism and studying our Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith. Afterwards, I would like to write several posts on this component of my faith probably broke down with the following categories:

1. The Law & the Gospel

2.  The Church & the Israel

3.  OT & NT Continuation

4.  Biblical Holidays & Escatology (the Past, the Present, and the Future) 

These categories are the main areas that I learned much about during my journey through Messianic Judaism and still continue to learn. Before I dive into the other topics, though, off to our Jewish Roots and Messianic Judaism.

As I shared on a previous post, http://smoothcookies.wordpress.com/2011/11/27/my-faith-dissected-series-the-journey-preface/, Christianity began as a sect of Judaism. The Scriptures came through the Jewish people, the Messiah was born Jewish and ascended into Heaven as a 1st Century Jew, the Apostles were Jewish, the writers of the Apostolic Scriptures (New Testament) were all Jewish besides Luke, all the first believers in Yeshua were Jewish, and the land and nation that our faith began in were Jewish. These are not mere opinions but mere facts that can be found out with little effort.

Therefore, with the wealth of information and history and facts that our faith in Christianity began in Judaism, it makes sense to me that we should somewhat try to wrap our mind around Jewish thought, in order to see how they explained things. Not to mention the context of the culture and history they were in and came from, before we try to figure out how or what this means to a Western culture 2,000 years later. By no means am I saying that we disregard the past 2,000 years of the history of our forefathers in the faith, though.

However, we can always learn new things that perhaps our forefathers did not see. I believe the Reformers such as John Calvin did this, as they went against certain things that the Roman Catholic Church taught for over a thousand years. There was even a Counter Reformation within the Roman Catholic Church later on. It is too easy to say this is the way it’s been and not study it like the Bereans of Acts 17, I believe would have. Especially since we have more information at our finger tips than any generation before us of the Bible, 1st Century Judaism, and history.

Marvin R. Wilson’s book, “Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith”, is one of the best books that I have read on this topic. Wilson breaks down 5 major parts titled:

I A New People: Abraham’s Spiritual Children

II Church and Synagogue in the Light of History

III Understanding Hebrew Thought

IV Jewish Heritage and the Church: Selected Studies

V Toward Restoring Jewish Roots

It is a terrific book that I recommend to all on studying this topic of Jewish Roots. http://www.amazon.com/Our-Father-Abraham-Jewish-Christian/dp/0802804233

Another great book to read while studying this is Dr. Michael L. Brown’s book, “Our Hands are Stained with Blood: The Tragic Story of the ‘Church’ and the Jewish People”.  It is a book that any Christian attempting to evangelize to the Jewish people would benefit from. It covers the history of relationships of the Church and the Jewish people. Anti-Semitism , the Crusades, and many things that will bring any sincere believer to tears. I can resonate with Leonard Ravenhill’s plug for this book, “I was pained, provoked and profited as I read this book. It left me with scars-and with tears. Every true believer needs to read this vital work!” http://www.amazon.com/Our-Hands-Are-Stained-Blood/dp/1560430680/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324912412&sr=1-7

Don Finto’s book, “Your People Shall Be My People: How Israel, the Jews and the Christian Church will come together in the Last Days”, is another good book to read in regards to tackling thinking of Christianity as a replacement for Judaism. http://www.amazon.com/Your-People-Shall-Be-Christian/dp/0830726535/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324912292&sr=1-1 

As for the history of Messianic Judaism, Dan Juster does a phenomenal job with this in an Israel Mandate seminar in 2010 titled “The Development of the Messianic Jewish Movement” that can be located at http://www.ihop.org/israelmandate/resources/. It was given at IHOP in Kansas City, which I may not agree with everything they teach, however this lecture by Dan Juster is very good.

Dr. Seth Klayman’s congregation has a good little overview of Messianic Judaism on his site at http://www.entershalom.org/#/exploring/messianic-judaism. Which, they further point back to the UMJC website at http://www.umjc.org/resources-mainmenu-101/documents-mainmenu-110/cat_view/176-messianic-judaism, that delves into a more in-depth history. They actually begin in first century Judaism and work their way up through the rebirth of the Modern Messianic Jewish movement that began in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Additionally, like always, Wikipedia has a great overview of the history of Messianic Judaism at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messianic_Judaism.

Lastly, I should mention that this movement did not just bring me into a more understanding of the people of Israel and a heart to pray for them but also more of a respect and interest for the Hebrew language and culture. I took two semesters of Hebrew language at Baruch HaShem Messianic Synagogue http://baruchhashemsynagogue.org/?page_id=163. It was really neat to learn some of the prayers and blessings and how they played out in different  Messianic Jewish congregations. It is a beautiful language that I hope to eventually pick back up my studies of later on.

It has been an eye-opening experience, full of struggles, joys, new friends, reconciliations, and hopefully a life long pursuit of learning and growing, in Yeshua Messiah. In my next post, I hope to start to go into what I believe, in regards to the Law and the Gospel.

Grace and peace be with you,

In Yeshua Messiah,

Coley

“My Faith Dissected: the Journey” Grateful Believer

In the Spring of 2008, I went through a Steps Studies Recovery Program at The Village Church. It was an experience that I believe will stick with me the rest of my life. It is a biblical discipleship program that covers a multitude of struggles including pride, fear of man, sexual struggles, alcohol/drug addictions, and just normal life struggles. It is a program that battles to conquer sin. It is a ministry of reconciliation, sanctification, growing in holiness, and striving to be more Christ like. Of course with the help of the Holy Spirit. I like the way John Owen’s says it, “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.” (page 50, “Overcoming Sin & Temptation: Three Classic Works by John Owen” edited by Kelly M. Kapic and Justin Taylor)

Before I started going through the Steps Studies, some times I would go to the Support Ministry, which is still part of the Recovery group but does not go through a steps program. The first half of the Support service would have worship and a teaching or testimony. The second half breaks up into small groups to give a forum to share struggles with a small group with similar struggles.

A lot of the testimonies would include, “I’m a grateful believer in Christ Jesus.”  That is I’m thankful that Jesus Christ, the Son of G-D, came to earth, dwelt in flesh, lived a perfect/sinless life, died for my sins, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven to be at the right side of the Father. He paid my debt. He took the wrath for my sins. 1 Corinthians 15

Therefore, I am a believer in Christ Jesus and a very grateful one at that. For I know that I am not perfect (Romans 3:23), however, I believe in the One that is perfect (Hebrews 5:8-10). I know that He is the author and perfector of my faith (Hebrews 12:1-3). In this life, I will not obtain perfection but it is my goal to press on towards that day I see Yeshua and receive my imperishable body and put on immortality (1 Corinthians 15:54-55).

When I started this program, I felt like I had already had a lot of victory in areas of jealousy, anger, codependency, sexual lust, anxiety, and alcoholism. Although, that is not to say that I still did not or do not still have struggles with these at times. However, at this season, my biggest struggles were a pendulum swing between pride and fear of man. Later, in the Fall of 2008, I would learn that I had idols of being rightly understood, of knowing, and perfectionism.

This program took us through 14 steps/teachings, a daily devotional, small group meetings, and meeting with a sponsor to confess our sins and help us work through reconciliations. This was a deep time of self-analysis. At the end, however, it was a very freeing experience and like a gigantic weight lifted off my back. Up to this point, I did not really know if I could trust any followers of Jesus with the things that I had done. I feared that I would not be received with grace but grace I received.

During this time, I read another book that had a big impact on me, Edward T. Welch’s book “When People are Big and GOD is Small: Overcoming Peer Pressure, Codependency, and the Fear of Man.” He worked at the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF) and Westminster Theological Seminary. The book opened my eyes to some scary things.

For example, on page 19 Welch says, “Regarding other people, our problem is that we need them (for ourselves) more than we love them (for the glory of God). The task God sets for us is to need them less and love them more.” It was wild to see how self-centered that I was and how this drove me to try to control every circumstance. I needed to learn to live out Proverbs 29:25, “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” And this will be something that I will be working on the rest of my life, I know.

It is something that is learned as Welch quotes Psalm 34:9, 11 on page 102, “Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing….Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.” Welch covers many more items in regard to the fear of man in his book.

Anyway, this program, the conversations with group and my sponsor, the teachings, and Welch’s book had an impact on my faith. The Village Recovery teachings can be found at http://www.thevillagechurch.net/resources/recovery-groups-steps/.

Furthermore, in the Fall of 2008, I took a Dynamics of Biblical Change class by David Powlison, who is part of CCEF http://www.ccef.org/faculty. It was a great class that made me think very deeply:) I took the class at Westminster Theology Seminary- Dallas campus, which is now Redeemer’s Seminary. Powlison’s X-Ray Questions really make you think and reveal a lot, http://www.monergism.com/X-Ray%20Questions.pdf.

One of the big things that I took away from Powlison’s class was what our primary reasons for ministry should be. Which, he pulled from 1 Timothy 1:5, “ But the goal of our instruction is love  from a pure heart and a  good conscience and a sincere faith.”

Another great teacher/Biblical Counselor is Paul David Tripp. He has several great books that are helpful as well. They can be located at http://www.paultrippministries.org/store.

Well, this is the season that I learned more to be a grateful believer in Christ Jesus. Next up is my season of learning the Jewish Roots of Christianity, meeting a melting pot of people who called themselves “Messianic”, and the many cultures and sects/circles of the Hebrew Roots/Messianic Judaism movements.

In ending, I like how Ed Welch ends “When People are Big and GOD is Small”, on page 239:

The LORD bless you

          and keep you;

the LORD make His face shine upon you

          and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn His face toward you

          and give you peace. (Num. 6:24-26)

Grace and peace be with you,

In Messiah Yeshua,

Coley

“My Faith Dissected: the Journey” Christian Hedonism

Blaise Pascal (French mathematician and philosopher): “All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves.” (Penses, New York: E. P. Dutton, 1958 p. 113, Thought # 425)

“Desiring GOD” by John Piper is the primary book that started this underlying principle of my faith. It is a thought pattern that changed the way I look at everything. Admittedly, I forget this at times, but by G-D’s grace, I hope to remind myself of this over and over.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks the question, “What is the chief end of man?” It answers it, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” (http://www.wts.edu/resources/creeds/shorterchatechism.html) John Piper changes one word of this statement in “Desiring GOD”, on page 18, he writes, “The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.” How do we glorify G-D most? We glorify G-D most by enjoying Him forever. It is not a begrudging submission to G-D that glorifies Him most but a willful, joyful submission to the G-D of the Universe.

Piper summarizes Christian Hedonism into 5 statements at http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/seminars/desiring-god-part-1:

 A Summary of Christian Hedonism in Five Statements

1. The longing to be happy is a universal human experience, and it is good, not sinful.

2. We should never try to deny or resist our longing to be happy, as though it were a bad impulse. Instead we should seek to intensify this longing and nourish it with whatever will provide the deepest and most enduring satisfaction.

3. The deepest and most enduring happiness is found only in God.

4. The happiness we find in God reaches its consummation when it expands to meet the needs of others in the manifold ways of love.

5. To the extent we try to abandon the pursuit of our own pleasure, we fail to honor God and love people. Or, to put it positively: the pursuit of pleasure is a necessary part of all worship and virtue.

Piper goes on to quote a pivotal quote by C.S. Lewis:

The Pivotal Quote from C. S. Lewis

But the most obvious fact about praise-whether of God or any thing-strangely escaped me. I thought of it in terms of compliment, approval, or the giving of honor. I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise unless (sometimes even if) shyness or the fear of boring others is deliberately brought in to check it. The world rings with praise-lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favorite game-praise of weather, wines, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, historical personages, children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, rare beetles, even sometimes politicians or scholars. I had not noticed how the humblest, and at the same time most balanced and capacious, minds, praised most, while the cranks, misfits and malcontents praised least . . . I had not noticed either that just as men spontaneously praise what ever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: “Isn’t she lovely? Wasn’t it glorious? Don’t you think that magnificent?” The Psalmists in telling everyone to praise God are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about. My whole, more general, difficulty about the praise of God depended on my absurdly denying to us, as regards the supremely Valuable, what we delight to do, what indeed we can’t help doing, about everything else we value.

I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed. (C. S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms, [New York: Harcourt, Brace and World 1958], pp. 93-95.)

In Appendix 4 of “Desiring GOD”, Piper lists out some practical ways for us to fight for this joy.

1.) Realize that authentic joy in GOD is a gift.

2.) Realize that joy must be fought for relentlessly.

3.) Resolve to attack all known sin in your life.

4.) Learn the secret of gutsy guilt: How to fight like a justified sinner.

5.) Realize that the battle is primarily a fight to see GOD for Who He is.

6.) Meditate on the Word of GOD day and night.

7.) Pray earnestly and continually for open heart-eyes and an inclination for GOD.

8.) Learn to preach to yourself rather than listen to yourself.

9.) Spend time with GOD-saturated people who help you see GOD and fight the fight.

10.) Be patient in the night of GOD’s seeming absence.

11.) Get the rest, exercise, and proper diet that your body was designed by GOD to have.

12.) Make a proper use of GOD’s revelation in nature.

13.) Read great books about GOD and biographies of great saints.

14.) Do the hard and loving thing for the sake of others- witness and mercy.

15.) Get a global vision for the cause of Christ and pour yourself out for the unreached.

Piper quotes many great theologians and pastors of history such as Charles Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and more. To find your ultimate joy in glorifying G-D in life is an exhilarating thing that is hard to describe. There is no way that I can do justice of the extensive information and thought that Piper put into “Desiring GOD”; the scripture, the quotes, and joy expressed on this blog. Therefore, I highly recommend all to read this book.

Furthermore, Desiring GOD’s website has a series of teachings on Christian Hedonism at a seminar and teachings at Piper’s church in the past.

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/seminars/desiring-god-part-1

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/topic-index/christian-hedonism

In conclusion, may we all strive in life for the ultimate goal to glorify G-D by enjoying Him forever. A grateful believer is the goal of my next component of faith.

Grace and peace be with you,

In Messiah Yeshua,

Coley

“My Faith Dissected: the Journey” Complementarianism

This component of my belief can be a touchy one. In an age where equality and oneness equate to sameness,  this becomes a sore subject a lot of times. However, I believe it is clear from scripture and simply looking at nature that G-D created males and females different. He created them not to complete each other, but to complement each other. This is where I like to change Tom Cruise’s famous quote in Jerry Maguire from “YOU COMPLETE ME!” to “YOU COMPLEMENT ME!” Ha-ha, well it may not sound as cool but it gets the point across that only G-D can complete you. He alone can fulfill your needs and save you.

However, this does not mean that we were created to be alone, as Genesis 1, 2 lays out. Furthermore, the rest of the Bible is told about G-D’s story of creation, fall, redemption, sanctification, and glorification all in the context of growing together in a community of Israel, the Church, friends, and families.

Men and women have different roles, gifts, and talents. This is very much like how the church is gifted in different ways. Each individual is gifted in different ways. You could even break it down further that even brothers have different roles, gifts, and talents.

Men and women can equally have salvation in Christ, however there is a Biblical distinction still. This is very much like the Trinity. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one in essence, however, they have different roles. The Father leads, plans, and sends out the Son. The Son always obeys and follows  the Father’s lead. The Holy Spirit is sent out by the Father and the Son to help us in growing to be more like Christ. On a side note, I really like how Wayne Grudem defines the work of the Holy Spirit in his book “Systematic Theology”, on page 634, below:

The work of the Holy Spirit is to manifest the active presence of God in the world, and especially in the church.

So, they are all working together and are one, however, they have different roles.

Some things get distorted when speaking about men leading here. First, men are to lead with gentleness, compassion, and most of the time should be consulting their wives for any decisions made. The same goes for elders of a local church and their congregation. I really don’t like words like “domineering” and ”submission” because the meanings have been turned into negative connotations that normally make people think of the abuses and wrong use of power in leadership than what a Biblical meaning of the words are. We are all to submit to our L-rd Yeshua, however, no one thinks the same way about using the word “submit” in this context.

Women are to be patient, understanding, an encourager, and helper to their husbands as well, and not biting, attacking, or manipulating them to get their way.  Women may very well be more gifted at certain roles than men at home and church. However, the Bible calls men to take on certain roles, such as being leaders in their homes and elders in the local church body. The elders are held accountable for leading the Church and making final decisions, just as husbands are held accountable for leading their families.

Basically, complementarianism believes that only men should be elders of the Church and should be heads of their family. This looks a little different in each Church and family depending on the circumstances.

Wayne Grudem and  John Piper explain it thoroughly and well in Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, which can be found online at  http://www.cbmw.org/Recovering-Biblical-Manhood-and-Womanhood/. Furthermore, the website for The Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood has many resources and information to research this topic at http://www.cbmw.org/.

After researching this topic, I’ve found it a beautiful thing that G-D has created. However, everything created has been abused in some form or fashion. This gives us distorted pictures that makes us jump to negative conclusions. I would urge you to study it first.

The Village Church has some good articles on this topic, as well.

http://www.thevillagechurch.net/mediafiles/whatiscomplementarianism.pdf

http://www.thevillagechurch.net/mediafiles/husbandsastheprimarybreadwinners.pdf

I really think this article is great located at http://www.thevillagechurch.net/mediafiles/article-womens-responsibility-and-authority-at-the-village-church.pdf. It breaks down very detailed roles of women’s responsibility at The Village Church. I hope this is encouraging.

I don’t really know how this works out in the areas of work and government. Personally, I do not see anything wrong with women leaders in the work place. It may be a hard thing and blur the lines of the family, if the woman is directly over her husband in the work place, though. I believe each married couple would need to discuss this depending on their circumstances. My hope is that we will grow in grace, hope, understanding, and love, in Christ Jesus.

This may be my shortest post:) Next time it is Christian Hedonism.

Grace and peace be with you,

In Messiah Yeshua,

Coley

“My Faith Dissected: the Journey” Reformed Baptist Pt 2 (Reformed Christianity)

There are a few denominations normally identified in the “Reformed” part of my beliefs. Some Baptists, Anglicans, and Dispensationalism fall into the Reformed camp. Most Presbyterians and Lutherans fall in the Reformed category, if not all of them. Furthermore, if you are looking at history, the Puritans would fall into the “Reformed” theological distinctions.

The three big reformers were Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwingli (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_Reformation). Unfortunately they could not agree on certain theological positions and the Church continued to break into denominations. Most would say Martin Luther began the Reformation when he nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church of Wittenberg, on the eve of All Saint’s Day, October 31, 1517 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ninety-Five_Theses). The Lutherans would come out of Luther’s movement. They may not have all the theological distinctions that Martin had in his day. The Presbyterians would come out of Calvin’s followers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyterian). The Reformers based a lot of their foundation for their arguments off of Augustine of Hippo’s theology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_Reformation).

John Knox, John Owen, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Spurgeon, and more. Modern day teachers that are in the Reformed realm include John Piper a Baptist, Kevin DeYoung of the Reformed Church of America, J.I. Packer an Anglican, and even some Dispensationalism such as John MacArthur. Then there are many Presbyterians like Tim Keller, R.C. Sproul, and Sinclair Ferguson. You can find a page with some pretty cool cartoon pictures of today’s contemporary Reformers at http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/bio/contempreform.html.

Most all of them will line up on the doctrines of salvation including justification, sanctification, and glorification. Sovereignty is another big doctrine that the Reformed will align on. Of course that word that has been debated so much in the circles that I have walked in the last 8 1/2 years, “Predestination!”.  Let me go back to one of my first memories of when I first heard of this topic. I was in my first year of Christianity still probably.

My home group was at the Texas Rangers game. We were having a great time when some how my home group leader brought up that GOD chooses us and we have nothing to do with this. This came as a shock to me. I was like what do you mean, “I accepted to follow.” Furthermore, “we’re not robots!” My home group leader asked, “Haven’t you read Romans 9?”

It still amazes me how many times that you can read the scripture and see new things, even after reading it several times. So, now I read this again.  It is scary to me. I remember driving in my car wondering to myself are we just robots? It doesn’t make sense. What is the purpose?

But then I listened to a sermon from The Village that stated so much scripture that aligned with the doctrine of Predestination and went to studies and such. It took me a couple of weeks but eventually I just accepted that GOD is GOD and I am not. A book that really helped me grasp this thought is “Chosen by GOD” by RC Sproul.

The story of Lazarus presented on page 96 really helped me begin to understand.

Could Lazarus have stayed in the tomb when Jesus called him out? Jesus cried, “Lazarus, come forth!” (John 11:43-44). The man broke out of his grave clothes and came out of the tomb. When God creates, he exercises a power that only God has. He alone has the power to bring something out of nothing and life out of death.

Earlier Sproul, had spoken of only being able to sin before rebirth. We would always choice sin unless G-D intervenes. Page 49 notes:

When we are born again, our bondage to sin is relieved. After we are made alive in Christ, we once again have the ability to sin and the ability to not sin. In heaven we will have the inability to sin.

These concepts made me think of the movie Frankenstein. Frankenstein was dead. Actually, he was not even a living creature. However, the mad scientist brought him to live. Then, he could speak, move, and make chooses. It’s not a perfect analogy because as an unbeliever chooses are still made but only for sin. It is not until the Holy Spirit gives you rebirth that you are able to choose to or not to sin.  

So, I believe like the Reformed do on the topics of salvation, justification, sanctification, glorification, and the sovereignty of GOD. Some great sites to further study this and really see what the scripture says are below:

http://www.thevillagechurch.net/resources/articles-papers/

http://www.desiringgod.org/searches/tulip?utf8=%E2%9C%93

http://www.monergism.com/directory/link_category/Reformed-Theology/

Additionally, I believe like the Presbyterians as far as the local church should be governed by a plurality of elders.

http://www.monergism.com/directory/search.php?action=search_links_simple&search_kind=and&phrase=elders

One more thing that I would believe like the “Reformed” but a little more like the Presbyterians or Calvin is in regards to communion. I do believe like the Baptists that the bread and wine are symbolism of Christ’s body being broken for us and His blood shed. However, I do believe there is a spiritual presence of the L-RD in this ordinance.

http://www.the-highway.com/Calvin_supper.html

http://mb-soft.com/believe/text/lastsupp.htm- a good comparison on the different beliefs of the L-RD’s Supper.

However, I would like to use unleavened bread when communion is taken since it was in the setting of Passover. Once again, this normally is not my choice in a corporate setting:)

Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22

This pretty much concludes my Reformed Baptist component of my faith that I believe the Bible teaches. I should say that on each of my components of faith that I studied the Scriptures in-depth. I’m on my eighth time reading through the Bible and attempt to study the scriptures in context. I list these resources because they articulate the views better than I could, while pointing out the scriptures. Additionally, I do try to study the opposing views with an open mind somewhat. This can be hard if you have respected teachers that you believe love the L-RD. However, I have learned that even our respected teachers are human and may not be correct on every thing. I know that I definitely have not been right always and had to accept that I was wrong at times. Furthermore, I have come to believe two very well-studied Christian scholars can differ on points and still both dearly love the L-RD.

Predestination and the famous acronym TULIP were one of the hardest items for me to grasp but then again so was Christianity in general when I first became a believer:) Complementarianism and Christian Hedonism is my goal for the next post.

Grace and peace be with you,

In Yeshua Messiah,

Coley